As we have witnessed over the past decade, the American energy landscape continues to transform. Not so long ago, energy scarcity was a significant concern, especially for transportation fuel as the petroleum supply decreased. As a result, in 2005 our nation wisely chose to diversify our fuel supply with strong bipartisan leadership from American policymakers. At that time, under George W. Bush, we created one of the most successful energy policies ever enacted– the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

When developing a new type of vehicle and propulsion system, somewhere along the line infrastructure will be a major part of the equation and needs to be addressed. This article sheds some light into how infrastructure is playing a role in the development of electric vehicles, and how key partnerships with utilities and organizations like the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) are instrumental in the development of vehicles like the Chevrolet Volt and Spark EV.

Ohio’s alternative energy mandate has been placed back on the table for possible termination, while its defenders question how anyone could ignore the benefits this legislation has provided Ohio in job creation, energy security and cost savings.

At this moment, the U.S. can reinvent how we produce, store, transport, and consume electricity. With an abundance of domestic energy, our country is on its way to becoming “energy independent” by the end of the decade. But powering our homes and businesses with natural gas or other fossil fuels does not mean a reliable, clean, and affordable flow of electricity will follow.

In order to capitalize on recent energy advances, states, regulators, and the federal government must bring the inherent benefits of generating power from on-site renewable energy — what’s called distributed generation — to more Americans. Transitioning our grid to one supplied with more distributed generation in the forms of all types of renewable energy is essential to attaining The U.S.’s true energy independence; independence that allows for the most reliable, affordable, and cleanest energy to flow to every American.

This past Sunday during halftime of the Redskins—Eagles game, I accepted the NRG Sustainable Futures Award, presented by Arun Banskota, President of eVgo, a NRG Energy company and co-chair of ACORE’s Transportation Initiative. It was an honor to receive the NRG Sustainable Futures Award on Military Appreciation Day in front of tens of thousands of Washington Redskins fans. I accepted the award with great humility, fully realizing that it symbolizes not just my work, but the collective hard work of our members and the ACORE staff day in and day out—helping move the industry forward.

With the election behind us, let’s hope this is the end to an ugly era of polarization in American politics. Over the past few years, Americans have listened to political bickering across almost every spectrum of policy on the state and national level. Despite many differences between our two parties, bipartisan support for renewable energy is growing and policymakers should take note. Many different points of view are constantly being expressed on which programs and policies work best, but politicians should understand that Americans expect our government to bring more renewable energy to scale. If Congress extends the Production Tax Credit, one of the most notable renewable energy tax credits by the end of the year, this will be a valuable indication that Washington has the ability to work together to achieve bipartisan policies for the good of the nation.

The demand for solar in the U.S. has nearly doubled over the past few years, bringing significant opportunity for solar installation providers along with challenges that such rapid growth inevitably brings. Now the solar industry must collectively take advantage of this momentum by advocating for a streamlined and more efficient solar permitting practices and working with local governments to establish a permitting standard that will increase efficiencies and help installers manage costs amid this growth.

If there were any doubts about the global potential for renewable energy, Michael Lewis, COO at E.ON Renewables, quickly put them to rest. Opening up Thursday's keynote at this years RETECH conference in Washington, D.C., Lewis told the audience renewables will continue to expand, with global capacity expected to increase three-fold by 2020. "When people ask me if renewables are just a niche, I show them the data we've put together," he said.

Lewis expects the industry to grow between seven to fourteen percent leading up to 2020. And he thinks investment dollars will follow, citing the seventeen percent year-over-year growth for renewables in 2011. He explained that in spite of the natural gas surplus in the United States, renewables like solar bring predictability to pricing, which reduces volatility in wholesale and retail utility markets.